Ms Mary Hurley:

I thank the joint committee for the invitation to attend to consider the Housing (Homeless Families) Bill 2017 which seeks to impose an obligation on housing authorities to recognise the family unit and have specific regard to the best interests of the children of homeless families in crisis accommodation. I am accompanied by my colleague Mr. David Kelly, principal officer with responsibility for the homelessness and housing inclusion supports division of the Department.

I welcome the opportunity to outline the existing provisions under the Housing Acts for the welfare of children and families who are experiencing homelessness. I also welcome the opportunity to update the committee on the Department’s work in supporting families who are experiencing homelessness.

The existing provisions of the Housing Act 1988 set out the requirement for a person or household to be regarded as homeless by a housing authority for the purposes of the Act. Under its provisions, it is a matter for the housing authority concerned to determine whether a person is to be regarded as homeless. In the case of any person determined to be homeless, the housing authority seeks to put in place the most appropriate immediate accommodation response which it may arrange or which may be operated by a State-funded service provider without the requirement for the person to undergo a social housing assessment and be approved for social housing supports.

The existing system generally has provided for the emergency accommodation needs of homeless families with children at a time when significant numbers of families have been presenting to services. The current homeless assessment arrangements give housing authorities the flexibility that is essential to respond quickly and effectively to the various needs of individuals and families who present to them and housing authorities make every reasonable effort to address their accommodation needs. While every case that presents to homeless services is different, housing authorities always endeavour to ensure the response they provide is the most appropriate to the particular circumstances of each case.

As I have set out, statutory responsibility for the provision of homeless accommodation and related services rests with individual local authorities. The Department’s role involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of local authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Funding is provided for local authorities on a regional basis. Regional allocations are delegated to a lead local authority in each of the nine local authority regions. Under these arrangements responsibility for assessment and decision-making on the funding of services rests with the relevant regional lead authority. The allocations are made and overseen in accordance with protocols agreed between the Department and the lead local authorities.

With the increase in the incidence of homelessness in recent years, the Government has increased the funding available to the Department for the provision of homeless services. In 2018 it provided Exchequer funding of €116 million for the provision of homeless services, an 18% increase on the 2017 budget allocation. This funding is allocated to local authorities to fund the operational cost of providing homeless services. Under the statutory arrangements in place, the local authorities are required to fund a minimum of 10% of the operational costs from their own resources. A significant proportion of this funding is for the provision of accommodation for families experiencing homelessness, including those in hotels and, increasingly, family hubs.

Rebuilding Ireland - the action plan for housing and homelessness - includes a range of measures to support families experiencing homelessness. The plan recognises that hotels are not a suitable or secure medium to long-term accommodation option for families. In 2017 the Department began working with the local authorities in the development of family hubs in a number of areas. Family hubs provide a more appropriate short-term solution in accommodating families who are experiencing homelessness by providing cooking and laundry facilities, with greater space for recreational activities, as well as other family-centred supports. Families in hubs are supported by the local authorities to identify and secure independent tenancies. There are 22 family hubs in operation across the country which provide approximately 550 units of family accommodation. The Department is working with the local authorities to deliver further family hubs and making available the necessary capital funding. In that regard, the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, recently wrote to the local authorities to request that they bring forward and accelerate as a matter of urgency the provision of additional family hubs.

The Department is also working closely with the local authorities on the homeless HAP place-finder programme. The programme was made available to all local authorities earlier this year and the Department has approved funding for 22 place-finder officers in local authorities nationally. The place-finder officers work with families who are experiencing homelessness to identify a tenancy in the private rented sector and can provide financial support by way of rent deposit and advance rent payments.

Supporting families who are experiencing homelessness is a priority for the Department. We work closely with our counterparts in the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and Tusla. This includes working together on the interagency group which was established by the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, in 2017 to ensure the State’s response to homelessness was co-ordinated effectively. Last week at this committee the Minister reaffirmed his commitment and priority to tackling homelessness. While significant numbers of families and individuals continue to present as homeless, record levels of individuals and families are being supported out of homelessness, with 4,729 adults exiting homelessness into independent tenancies in 2017 and a further 2,332 in the first half of 2018. The Department, with its local authority colleagues, will continue to work and support families and other households who are experiencing homelessness, with a view to ensuring they can secure long-term sustainable housing solutions as quickly as possible.

My colleague Mr. David Kelly and I will be happy to answer questions about any issue which arises.